Ram Needs 75 film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Ashish Ramnani, Sumeet R Borana, Ashline K Shaju, Mohit Maheshwari directed by Rameez Poyil . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Ram Needs 75 Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Mar 23, 2022 Directed by: Rameez Poyil Written by: Rameez Poyil Starring: Ashish Ramnani, Sumeet R Borana, Ashline K Shaju, Mohit Maheshwari In India there’s a stringent rule where 75% attendance is compulsory for all students in order to appear in final exams in all engineering colleges all across India. Whilst the rule may appear fair and helpful to students by encouraging them to attend their academics, in recent times it has become more of a burden than a benevolence. It restrains students and prevents them from exploring more online, or out of college studying, furthermore, it doesn’t take illness into account. It’s this idea that gives ‘Ram Needs 75’ its title and largely it’s story. From the first acoustic strums of The Beatles iconic song ‘Let It Be’ the film establishes itself firmly in the perspective of a teenager, or a group of teenagers, who are fed up with the system and just want to live their life. It isn’t just the 75 rule which is stopping them either, the teachers are cruel, especially the mean-mannered Professor Britas, whose reign of terror includes tearing a girl away from a boy for hugging him goodbye. This is very much a teenagers world, the stench of adolescence is so overwhelming you can smell the mesh of cheap deodorant and sweat as the students navigate their way through the corridors. As with any story of adolescence, the adults are the biggest enemies, the barriers to a better, more free way of life. The problem with having a film so firmly set in this perspective is that it fails to take into account a broader narrative view, with adults presented as one-dimensional monsters simply because they enjoy tormenting those beneath them. Whilst this rebellious spirit can certainly work to great effect, just look at ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ or ‘The Breakfast Club’, very rarely does ‘Ram Needs 75’ pull it off. That’s not to say it doesn’t - there’s an excellent sequence of Ram and his friends running to get into the school after he lost his ID - but for the most part the younger characters are rebellious for the sake of being rebellious, whilst the adults are cruel for the sake of being cruel. The other, substantially larger, issue which stems from this is that it is extremely hard to empathise with Ram. There doesn’t seem to be anything barring him from attending his classes other than sheer laziness and oversleeping. Everyone is capable of attending something which they don’t particularly want to, everyday millions of kids reluctantly trot off to school, so why should we care that Ram doesn’t want to go. There’s a very funny gag involving a desperately ill student attending class so that he gets past the rule, surely he has more of a reason not to attend than Ram. Had the film centred around that boy’s struggles to get to college then the film has more of a base to connect with the audience, as it is, Ram comes off as lazy. The failure to connect with the audience cannot be placed at the feet of any of the actors, who all do fine jobs with their roles, believably portraying young students in various stages of stress. Nor can it be placed at the feet of director Rameez Poyil, who shows a remarkable aptitude for shot design. Each shot is well orchestrated and Poyil can hold his head high knowing that opportunities will no doubt come his way. Similarly on the script Poyil has done an impressive job, wasting no time on exposition and making each character other than Ram engaging. The closing shot also demonstrates a level of maturity mixed with the flair of youth from Poyil, ending just as the story was reaching a lull with an ambiguous conclusion which will leave you thinking afterwards. Had that same level of maturity been more evident in the overall mood of the film, then the film itself would be outstanding. That being said, the incessant music is also irritable, often failing to build any tension and chiming in at the wrong time. There’s a lot of potential with ‘Ram Needs 75’ and there’s definitely a strong story hiding somewhere in there. It has all the right ingredients just in disproportionate amounts. The unabashed teen spirit should definitely have it’s place but it needs to be reigned in. The direction, script and acting is good but leaves you wanting more. More than anything ‘Ram Needs 75’ is frustrating, because director Rameez Poyil clearly has all the talent in the world, it just feels as though he chose the wrong story to channel it into. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Burnt Toast and Cigarettes film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Becky Lindsay, Rhiannon Jones, Ellie Bindman, Craig Conway directed by Paul Stainthorpe. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Burnt Toast and Cigarettes Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Mar 9, 2022 Directed by: Paul Stainthorpe Written by: Paul Stainthorpe, Simon Jefferson Starring: Becky Lindsay, Rhiannon Jones, Ellie Bindman, Craig Conway A troubled teenager struggles to get her life in order and keeps getting into confrontations. After getting expelled from school over a conflict, Abi (Lindsay) finds herself in a position where she needs to deal with her problems and come to terms with everything if she is to move on with her life. She refuses the support from her father (Conway) and dance teacher (Jones) and holds a serious grudge against a schoolgirl named Chloe (Bindman). This short drama focuses on the life of a young girl who is facing inner issues and explores how her behaviour affects her life and those around her and it is not good. She alienates herself from everybody and hurts those who want to help her. Her aggressive attitude often gets the best of her, resulting in violent behaviour, arguments and drama. There are scenes of nasty confrontation and heartwarming scenes that make the viewing a rather emotional experience. The protagonists deliver strong and dramatic performances. Lindsay is superb as a teenager who experiences what many people her age tend to go through: alienation, anger, sadness, jealousy. Her negative emotions are preventing her from being the good person that she really is. Conway is her father and only parent who cares deeply for his daughter and is torn apart because of the lack of communication between them. Jones is Abi's dance teacher who disapproves of her aggressive behaviour but recognises her potential and Bindman is the fragile girl who falls victim to Abi's temper. Stainthorpe does a great job with the directing and the cinematography by James Alexander looks beautiful and includes brief moments of black-and-white and red-and-black. Composer Marco Belloni develops music that is dramatic and gentle and Eleanor Fielding is creative with the editing and utilises fast cutting effectively. This short is a hard-hitting coming-of-age film that explores themes of self-destruction and teenage anger and alienation. It is a character study that shows how a person's actions can affect their life and points out the importance of support and forgiveness. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

All Inclusive film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Maximiliano Rojas, Alejandra Herrera, Leopoldo Serrano directed by Duvan Duque Vargas. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS All Inclusive Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Sep 25, 2023 Directed by: Duvan Duque Vargas Written by: Duvan Duque Vargas Starring: Maximiliano Rojas, Alejandra Herrera, Leopoldo Serrano A family of three goes to a resort for leisure and business. However, things do not turn out as they hoped. Fernando (Serrano) arrives at a retreat near Bogota, Colombia with the intention of relaxing, spending time with his family and doing a bit of business. Accompanying him are his wife, Natalia (Herrera) and young son, Fer (Rojas). Once they settle in, they have fun with fellow guests and business associates, with whom Fernando tries to collaborate professionally. However, there is trouble behind closed doors as things between Natalia and Fernando are not good and it is taking its toll on their child. This short drama explores the life of a dysfunctional family while they are on holiday. The film starts with a scene of happiness, with the family in the car, en route to the resort, cheerfully singing along to a song on the radio. It is when they are in their private rooms that the arguing begins. As time passes, they socialise and attempt to maintain a positive image, still, things get even worse when Fernando makes connections with shady people. The performances are great and the characters' struggles are the main subject of the narrative. Fernando is a man who loves his family, but has a bad temper and makes careless decisions. Natalia is a gentle person who falls victim to her partner's actions and Fer suffers because of the family issues and significant emphasis is placed on his perspective. Regarding the technical side of things, the stunning cinematography by Konstantinos Koukoulios deserves many commendations and it is one of the film's strongest aspects. This is a story about an unstable family, about personal struggles and it explores family values. It is an emotional viewing with dramatic scenes and a plot in which the heroes go downhill, yet there are glimpses of hope. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Primetime film review by UK film critic Jack Salvadori. Starring Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo directed by Lance Oppenheim. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Primetime Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jack Salvadori | Posted on: Sep 7, 2026 Directed by: Lance Oppenheim Written by: Ajon Singh Starring: Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo After making his name with a string of acclaimed documentaries, Lance Oppenheim makes his fiction debut with Primetime, and it is immediately clear that he has brought his documentary instincts with him. He remains fascinated by people behaving badly in front of cameras, by the strange machinery of spectacle, and by the thin line between observation and voyeurism. He has the eye of someone who has spent years watching real people reveal themselves, and now gets to construct the circumstances under which they do it. Set in 2006, Primetime takes us behind the scenes of To Catch a Predator, the notorious television phenomenon hosted by Chris Hansen, here played by a brilliantly unhinged Robert Pattinson with evangelical fervour mixed with vanity, and theatricality. Oppenheim’s Hansen is less television presenter than self-appointed celebrity vigilante, a man intoxicated by power and convinced he is doing “the Lord’s work”. What begins as righteous crusading gradually mutates into something far more disturbing, as Hansen assumes the roles of investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and, eventually, God himself. His mission is nothing less than to “cleanse the world from an ancient evil”. And the public loves him for it. Hansen has become a popular hero dispensing his own peculiar brand of justice while the cameras roll. He doesn’t simply want to expose his targets; he wants to humiliate them, punish them and make an example of them. Essentially, Pattinson is Batman again, if Batman had a television crew and a pathological need for attention. The genius of To Catch a Predator was that it transformed television into a modern day pillory, with the predators publicly paraded, humiliated and roasted before millions of viewers. Shame became entertainment. Justice became content. And Hansen became its master of ceremonies. Oppenheim has enormous fun exploring the grotesque machinery behind it all. The film understands the absurdity of a culture in which moral outrage and prime-time entertainment become indistinguishable. That makes Primetime both very funny and increasingly uncomfortable. Oppenheim finds comedy in the absurdity of Hansen’s crusade, but there is something genuinely sinister beneath the jokes. The more Hansen convinces himself that he is saving the world, the more his righteous certainty begins to resemble the very obsession he claims to be fighting. The result is a film drenched in an oversaturated visual palette that is visually daring and packed with genuinely great jokes, exactly the kind of discovery a festival audience loves. A major contender for the Lido, and one to keep a very close eye on when awards season rolls around. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jack Salvadori Theatrical Release, Film Festival < All Reviews Next Film Review >

As Easy as Closing Your Eyes film review by UK film critic James Learoyd. Starring Laura Coover, Sean Marquette, Dawson Sweeney directed by Parker Croft. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS As Easy as Closing Your Eyes Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: James Learoyd | Posted on: Aug 13, 2025 Directed by: Parker Croft Written by: Aaron Golden, Parker Croft Starring: Laura Coover, Sean Marquette, Dawson Sweeney As Easy as Closing Your Eyes is so deeply heartbreaking that it’s almost difficult to think about. It tells a personal story, and yet it’s set, either in the future, or in some parallel world in which technology has advanced enough to provide consumers a drug with which you can bring back a dead loved one for a short time. The film begins with what appears to be an AA meeting, but with further context, we come to realise it’s in fact a rehabilitation group for those addicted to this sci-fi drug. Here we’re introduced to our protagonist: a woman who has recently lost her son. There are some interesting parallels between this film and other classic movies. Arguably the main inspiration (or, at least, closest film in terms of content) is Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence . But Parker Croft’s short intelligently flips that concept in its head, where it is the mother who becomes addicted to this ephemeral, superficial experience with her lost son. If there’s one reason to watch this already technically competent, emotionally arresting movie over any other, it would be the utterly transfixing performances given by both Laura Coover and – in the film’s rug-pulling dénouement – Sean Marquette. Coover, in particular, plays the main character Lila, and I can’t remember being this affected by a performance for some time. She feels so emotionally vulnerable, yet completely in control of how she’s reading on camera. She manages to evoke genuine loss and joy without it ever seeming as if she’s reaching for the feeling. Both Coover and Marquette bring an authenticity to their roles which could move a viewer to tears. Without delving in to explicit spoiler territory, I’d like to address the piece’s final moments. It’s a gut punch – a well-constructed one – which leaves us feeling completely empty inside. Yet as well-constructed as it is, this reviewer questions whether this story needs it. Were As Easy as Closing Your Eyes to end optimistically, it would not deter from the overall darkness that’s been so effectively conveyed. The current ending, while technically sound and honestly mind-blowing, could be compared in ways to a Black Mirror ending. This is better than Black Mirror ; it reaches higher and achieves more with less. The famously divisive ending of A.I. (which this reviewer believes to be genius) better evokes the kind of melancholy ambiguity that may have pushed this movie into 5-star territory. But right now, I’m almost less inclined to think too hard about the ending because it is just so cynical and terrifying; - and in the long run, one might be more inclined to block it out of one’s memory instead of revisiting and pondering on this already haunting story. The narrative and performances are so fascinating that one almost neglects to discuss the technical... This is a well-lensed picture undoubtedly. Arguably, it could be slightly more dynamic colour-wise, but the stunning photography on show already possesses a strength of depth. A highlight would have to come during Lila’s fantasy, when she sits amongst the hills with her son at dusk. This sequence – and the short film as a whole – serves as an astonishing work of film craft. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic James Learoyd Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Underground film review by UK film critic Alex Crisp. Starring Joakim Robillard, Théodore Pellerin, James Hyndman directed by Sophie Dupuis. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Underground Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Alex Crisp | Posted on: Aug 14, 2021 Directed by: Sophie Dupuis Written by: Sophie Dupuis Starring: Joakim Robillard, Théodore Pellerin, James Hyndman It’s the plotting that shines most in this social drama about a Quebec mining community. Written and directed by Sophie Dupuis, Underground ( French: Souterrain) unravels a complex web of inter-connected relationships among the miners, a web we know will lead to a cataclysmic end. Dupuis leads the film off with a flash-forward to a pit disaster, pulling us out before we see how it resolves. Cutting back to two months prior, we’re introduced to an ensemble of characters with more to their stories than meets the eye, and steadily, we learn about their lives, about their pasts, and about their shared traumas. There’s Maxine, who is preparing for the birth of his first child. However, his wife suffers a miscarriage, something that transpires has happened multiple times before. He angrily reacts against his wife’s wish to adopt a child, and derides a colleague who has done so for what he perceives to have been wilful emasculation. Julian, a former worker at the mine, has suffered a serious brain injury in a car-crash that was caused by Maxine’s drunk driving. He struggles to find an outlet to function with his new, circumscribed reality. And finally, Julian’s father Mario, who is deeply depressed at the state his son has been reduced to, and deeply resentful toward Maxine for causing it. With so much upheaval eating away at the men, and with the knowledge of the coming disaster in the viewer’s mind, a question looms over proceedings. Which pressure point will trigger the fatal human error that causes it? Underground is above all about the different ways people react to life’s caprice. Maxine eventually accepts that his parenthood desires are beyond his control and reconciles with his wife. But it’s Mario who proves to be the narrative’s stick of dynamite. The heavy plot load is maintained by consistent, naturalistic dialogue, and by performances that capture the camaraderie of a tight-knit community. Every actor holds up their end, and Dupuis, having shown her capability for handling the quiet stuff, is proficient when it comes to the set-piece finale too. She makes use of close-ups and balances drawn-out, tension building shots with high-tempo cuts to capture the intensity of a subterranean crisis. On a low-budget there are no theatrics, but theatrics aren’t what Underground needs to tell a sad, self-contained story. A parting image of the surviving miners wandering off into the dark once more, their lights gradually fading from view, is an apt crystallisation of the burdens it reminds us we’re all carrying forward. Underground will be released in Cinemas, Virtual Cinemas and VOD on 20th August. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Alex Crisp Theatrical Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Goddess, Garbage & Gerwalt film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Aleksandra Corovic directed by Aristotelis Chaitidis, Alkistis Kafetzi. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Goddess, Garbage & Gerwalt Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Nov 24, 2023 Directed by: Aristotelis Chaitidis, Alkistis Kafetzi Written by: Aristotelis Chaitidis Starring: Aleksandra Corovic The idea that humans have screwed up the planet is nothing new, and it’s certainly not a new idea to bring to cinema, perhaps expressed in the biggest, if not the best, way through Adam McKay’s 2021 comedy ‘Don’t Look Up’. Whilst ‘Goddess, Garbage & Gerwalt’ doesn’t have an angry Jennifer Lawrence or a hyperventilating Leonardo DiCaprio, it does have a similar message of morbidity surrounding the future of our planet, only this short creates a strangely frustrating aura, an almost cult like trance in order to convey what is actually a very straightforward metaphor. The message of the film, which is directed by Aristotelis Chaitidis and Alkistis Kafetzi, is a relatively straightforward one, expressing how far humanity have strayed from nature and the way in which, if inclined to have faith, the world was created. It’s a story of how mankind’s pollution, technology and industrialisation have caused irreversible damage to natural landscapes and wildlife, leading to the extinction of numerous species of both plants and animals alike. The issue is that such a straightforward concept and message is conveyed in a manner that overcomplicates its idea to the extent that the broader themes no longer even seem relevant, and it instead comes across as pretentious. A German film, written by Aristotelis Chaitidis, who also stars as a lone, headphone wearing figure, who is more than slightly crazy and is emblematic of mankind’s ignorance towards the damage cause, ‘Goddess, Garbage & Gerwalt begins in darkness with a mystical voiceover narration, which continues throughout. It is the voice of Aleksandra Corovic, who appears moments later as the titular Goddess (from which we can infer that Chaitidis plays Gerwalt). Following a long aerial shot of the field in which she has crashed to earth, she emerges from a pile of garbage, not too dissimilar from the ideas of shooting stars themselves as celestial garbage. From there, the film is devoted to following this goddess, this fallen star as she comes to terms with the destruction wreaked upon earth by mankind, as she wanders around this desolate field, with dead or dying vegetation, and the only sound that of the wind turbines which dwarf even her. Mankind has gone too far, technology has become too great, greater than even a higher power, and it provides a stark difference to the nature now rotting at its feet. The film concludes that the inability to escape our shortcomings despite meaning well, is simply human nature, and therefore, we as humans, though the cause of climate change and natural destruction, are compelled by our own nature and thus powerless to stop it. Chaitidis writes the dialogue better than the overall story, though he and Kafetzi direct the film in a stiff manner, coming across as robotic, and lacking the authenticity or character that is really needed to enrapture an audience. Neither actor is given much to work with, instead forced to look glumly into the camera or out across the rotting land around them, rather than handed any real opportunity to give a dramatic turn. Whilst not a bad film per se, ‘Goddess, Garbage & Gerwalt’ is at times a tedious watch, mishandling and overcomplicating its straightforward ideas so that they become too convoluted, and creating a strange cultish serenity that never truly feels right. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Thor: Love and Thunder film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson directed by Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Stan Lee. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Thor: Love and Thunder Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jul 6, 2022 Directed by: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Stan Lee Written by: Taika Waititi Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson Filmmaker Taika Waititi hit a gleefully discordant note with his first venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His Thor: Ragnarok was silly. It held no particular reverence for superheroes, even its own. Who knew it would be such a welcome change of pace, and so very suited to Chris Hemsworth’s comic talent? Of course, Thor still had Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to play with, plus the great Cate Blanchette as a goth goddess Hela. Hell yes. Thor: Love and Thunder does not benefit from the previous installment’s villainous one-two punch. But Christian Bale is no slouch. Bale plays Gorr the God Butcher. The name alone gives you a sense of why Thor is in trouble. The weird thing is, though Bale’s performance intrigues, it’s as if he’s in an entirely different movie. In Thor’s corner of this fight is the formidable Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), as well as another familiar face. Natalie Portman returns as Thor’s ex, Dr. Jane Foster, who now commands the Hammer of the Gods herself. But after fighting his own flesh and blood to save his entire people and culture in the last episode, crushing on his ex while protecting his own skin feels pretty superficial. It’s a slight premise with weak stakes. Even Waititi seems to think so. Thor and company visit the secret assembly of the gods to ask for help in defeating this new menace. The way Waititi (who co-writes Jennifer Kaytin Robinson) stages the whole bacchanal makes it hard to argue Gorr the God Butcher’s logic. An interesting act of subversion or wishy-washy storytelling? Hard to say. Waititi’s focus on the film’s aesthetic is clearer, though. Thor: Love and Thunder evokes a Saturday morning kids’ show, complete with hokey costumes and props. Here Waititi revels in the superficial, the kitschy and commercial. He’s a filmmaker who balances cynicism and goofiness as few can. He hits a couple of clever gags with a jealous Stormbreaker, too. So, it’s fun. But it’s by no means the inspired fun of Ragnarok. None of the jokes land as well, and the action never approaches the same level of swagger and panache. And it just keeps getting harder to root against Marvel’s villains. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Trigger Happy film review by UK film critic Rachel Willis. Starring Tyler Poelle, Elsha Kim directed by Tiffany Kim Stevens. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Trigger Happy Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Rachel Willis | Posted on: Feb 27, 2025 Directed by: Tiffany Kim Stevens Written by: Daniel Moya, Tiffany Kim Stevens Starring: Tyler Poelle, Elsha Kim Unhappy George (Tyler Poelle) has a plan. Miserable at work, miserable at home, George needs a change. His chosen method for changing his life becomes a madcap adventure of sorts in director Tiffany Kim Stevens’s film, Trigger Happy . Since misery loves company, George isn’t alone in his dissatisfaction. George’s wife, aspiring actor Annie (Elsha Kim), is as annoyed with George as he is with her. Several others express their frustrations and despairs in various ways as well. Thankfully, Stevens isn’t interested in making us miserable. Rather than wallow with unhappy characters, we watch as George, Annie, and their friends find ways to improve their circumstances through torrid affairs, spouse murder fantasies, and hilarious professional accomplishments. Of course, because none of the characters are honest with each other, or even themselves, misunderstandings abound. What could almost be described as comedic hijinks occur, except they’re a little too bloody to be truly called hijinks. Stevens, co-writing with Daniel Moya, pens dialog with a strange, melodic poetry that gives it a musical quality, adding a level of surrealism to the film. George’s increasing frustrations play well with this quality. Adding to Trigger Happy ‘s uncanniness is the slyly revealed reality of George’s world, which isn’t quite the same as ours. It’s not obvious at first, but as the film progresses, more hints are dropped. And as the title of the movie suggests, guns abound (not so different from our world in that way). Each person in George’s world is compelling in their own unique way. Though some play a bigger part in George’s misery than others, none of the ancillary characters feel unnecessary. From his coworkers to his boss, to the friendly shop owner, each person has a place in George’s orbit. Still, it’s Annie, as both his antagonist and his wife, who has the most commanding presence in George’s life. It’s easy to love and loathe both characters. Trigger Happy is, overall, a winning parody about the miseries of everyday living. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Rachel Willis Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Lair film review by UK film critic Rachel Willis. Starring Aislinn De'Ath, Alana Wallace, Corey Johnson directed by Adam Ethan Crow. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Lair Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Rachel Willis | Posted on: Nov 9, 2021 Directed by: Adam Ethan Crow Written by: Adam Ethan Crow, Stuart Wright Starring: Aislinn De'Ath, Alana Wallace, Corey Johnson Opening with a very tense scene of a young boy hiding under the stairs, writer/director Adam Ethan Crow sets us up for a suspenseful horror tale. It’s unfortunate he can’t keep the momentum going. Following this immensely creepy start, Lair falls back on a mundane expository scene where we’re introduced to our main character, Dr. Steven Caramore (Corey Johnson). Disbelieving the existence of demons and the supernatural, he nonetheless decides to test out several supposedly haunted items on a group of unsuspecting renters in his building. The clueless renters are Maria (Aislinn De’ath), her girlfriend Carly (Alana Wallace), and her own two daughters. The apartment is wired to watch for any sinister activity, so the film sinks into voyeur territory. Caramore watches these women in intimate situations, but Crow treats this as an unfortunate part of spying on your neighbors for demonic activity. It would have made more sense to mine this behavior to sinister effect, and combine it with Caramore’s habit of sneaking into the women’s apartment to place new, haunted items. His tenants, unaware of this invasion into their lives, have their own drama to deal with. Head of a newly constructed family, Maria is trying to integrate Carly into her daughters’ lives. Carly attempts to figure out where she fits—is she the girls’ friend (particularly the teenage daughter) or an authority figure? This, along with the haunted apartment, is reason enough for interest. Dr. Caramore’s place in the mix begins to seem unnecessary. Why is his story patched into the family’s horror? And yet, you can appreciate what Crow is trying to accomplish. The bones of a great tale are here, but the narrative falls apart as it’s fleshed out. Poor dialogue and an excess of exposition hurt the overall story. The actors embrace their roles and bring a level of realism to the movie, even as you try to wrap your head around some of the things they do or say. Lair’s best aspects are the visual effects. There are some terrifying scenes, a couple of impressive jump scares, and some well-imagined demonic activity. Crow delivers enough horrific moments to satisfy even as his movie leaves something to be desired. It’s also refreshing to see a demon movie that doesn’t revolve around possession—a genre explored almost as much as the zombie oeuvre. Though Lair is not without its flaws, it’s nonetheless an intriguing idea. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Rachel Willis Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Pro Bono Watchman film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Mike Gassaway, Kariana Karhu, George Welder, Kelli Ball Grant directed by Ray Spivey. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Pro Bono Watchman Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Apr 20, 2022 Directed by: Ray Spivey Written by: Ralph Cinque Starring: Mike Gassaway, Kariana Karhu, George Welder, Kelli Ball Grant Hank Cassidy (Gassaway) is a good ole boy. He used to be a hotshot lawyer and in his heyday they used to call him 'Cut-throat Cassidy'. Nowadays he spends his time looking after his sick wife, Lilian (Grant) who is bedridden with ovarian cancer. Hank likes fixing every single problem that he comes across, and being a good ole boy he always carries a gun on him, whichever situation he is in. He promptly uses his gun to break up a rowdy pool party going on next door and readily earns the respect and gratitude of his neighbour, Clay for it. Good ole Hank. Clay has also come over looking for a favour. His granddaughter is about to start receiving visits from her errant father who has been granted rights to see her. There needs to be a monitor present while these visits take place and Clay thought Hank would be the perfect man for the job. So did Hank. So, with everything set up, Hank meets Lemarcus Gentry (Welder), a silver locked felon and wife-beater, and begins his job as 'Watchman' for the six year old Bonnie (Karhu). As the film progresses the bonds develop between the three main leads and Hank finds himself drawn into a tangle of conflicting emotions as he constantly strives to do the right thing. Thankfully Hank, being who he is, has absolutely zero self-doubt and sees clearly how to help everybody for the best in every situation ever. Sometimes with his gun. The Pro Bono Watchman takes a very strange turn in the second act when a new character is introduced and the plot exponentially thickens. Talk of hypnosis and mescaline dosing signals a serious left-turn for the rest of the film and ultimately makes a mockery of what was already a pretty subpar movie. The production and direction from Ray Spivey never suggest anything other than a low-budget TV movie, while the script from Ralph Cinque keeps everyone spouting expository statements to each other, even in what are supposedly intimate moments. The actors never seem real in any of their interactions, especially with the way the adults talk and play with Bonnie, and Gassaway's ham acting in particular comes across as way over the top. Throughout the film the dialogue tends to feel empty and prescriptive with no room for the actors to imbue it with any real feeling, and the end result is a boring slog for the audience, listening to staccato conversations which don't play well on screen. If you stick long enough with The Pro Bono Watchman you eventually get a rounding out of the story and a definite, if rather traumatising, resolution. But in amongst the rest of it, as well as the strange musical interludes that have the feel of a Garth Algar dream sequence, there's not enough to keep the film from straying into 'oddity' territory. It's only really worth watching if you want to see Hank go at every problem in his good ole way. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Becoming Sidney film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Jadon Shamir, Tyrone Stewart, Regina Williams directed by Ken Gregory. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Becoming Sidney Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Feb 17, 2026 Directed by: Ken Gregory Written by: Ken Gregory Starring: Jadon Shamir, Tyrone Stewart, Regina Williams Becoming Sidney is Ken Gregory’s docudrama that imagines a formative audition from a young man who would go on to become the legendary Sidney Poitier, and the historical impact the Bahamian would have on the acting world. Told using archival footage and performance, the stage is set of a world where black actors suffer discrimination and pigeon-holing in roles that deny them the opportunity to flourish as storytellers. After an establishing montage of historic clips, the young Poitier (Jadon Shamir) is shown being barely given the chance to show what he can do onstage due to his accent, before finding the voice within himself that would go on to break down barriers in the acting world and beyond. Based on the true story of Sidney Poitier, Becoming Sidney is something of a fairy-tale representation of the beginning of the great man’s journey. Ken Gregory interestingly splits his film into halves – the first documentary and the second drama, which contextualises the fictional retelling effectively (using Poitier's own recorded words as part of the dialogue) and adds layers to the significance of the young dishwashers’ dream at greatness – and the unlikeliness of such a pursuit. The background stretching back to the 20s, 30s and 40s where even Oscar-winning black actors were forbidden from attending the same ceremony as whites is a powerful reminder of the world Poitier grew up in. And even given the infuriating barriers he faced, Gregory makes sure to maintain the glamorousness of old Hollywood in such moments to make clear why Poitier so desired a career in performing arts. The jazz soundtrack in these sections, as well as clips of some of the eras finest actors is a quietly powerful addition that formed key parts of the story. In the short’s second half it switches to a dramatic rendition of Sidney Poitier’s life – led by Jadon Shamir who portrays the future great as a shy dreamer. The sensitivity in Shamir’s performance is key in emphasising his naivety and inexperience, yet we also see signs of the inner strength and belief Poitier possessed to stand up to those who were hesitant to accept him. Clifton J Williams’ Johnny Brooks and Regina Williams’ Ruby Dee are key players in the episode of Poitier’s life, and intricacies in their smaller roles shine through to show that race looms large in their assessment of his skill despite experiencing discrimination themselves. Truthfully there are some flaws in the dramatic section of the film – primarily the speed at which Poitier goes from receiving pariah treatment from the acting world to being lauded by the same individuals based on a single audition. Viewers will get whiplash from this transformation, which comes about not as a result of the short running time but due to underdevelopments in the script. However, for what is essentially a fantasy telling of this part of Poitier’s story, it is a forgivable hole in a short that otherwise accomplishes its primary goal – that being the importance of his impact. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, Documentary < All Reviews Next Film Review >